Authorities have said they will make it easier for people to cook freshly caught fish on boats, as part of a push to promote island hopping tourism.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said in an interview with Wen Wei Po published on Thursday that the easing of fishing regulations is part of the administration's medium-term plan in boosting tourism.

She pointed out that in the short run, the government will also consider increasing the number of docking spaces for yachts in Victoria Harbour, revealing that there will be docking and landing step facilities available within the year in Lei Yue Mun.

The minister also noted that there is interest from the business sector in Hong Kong's plan to develop island and coastline tourism, and that the government plans to play a facilitating role.

Separately, Law told the newspaper that the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Xia Baolong had told her in a meeting in Beijing last week that the SAR can be innovative, especially in utilising its coastlines.